ISUrF Hub Network

ISUrF-Hub is an initiative by the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Technlogy IWF (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and the Institute for Sustainable Urbanism ISU (Department of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences) within the research line FUTURE CITY of TU Braunschweig in Germany. In close cooperation with A*Star SIMTech with which TU Braunschweig has developed a strong partnershi since 2002 and a growing network of partners in Singapore ISUrF Hub is setting a platform for multidisciplinary research.

Germany

TU Braunschweig

Technische Universität Braunschweig

www.tu-braunschweig.de

Technische Universität Braunschweig is the academic center of Braunschweig, City of Science, which lies in the heart of one of Europe’s most active research regions with a rich tradition and a proven research and teaching profile. TU Braunschweig’s faculties comprise a comprehensive engineering branch and a strong natural sciences branch, closely linked with business sciences, social sciences, humanities and educational sciences. TU Braunschweig is part of TU9 – the group of leading technical universities in Germany.

TU Braunschweig focuses on the following strategic research fields:

  • Future City;
  • Mobility;
  • Infections and active agents;
  • Metrology.

FUTURE CITY

Research line of TU Braunschweig

Many challenges for today’s society, culture, politics and economy can be tied to the topic of our future life in the cities. Worldwide and also in Germany, the majority of the population lives in cities and urban regions that place complex demands on existing urban structures and future new plans due to the foreseeable increase in urbanisation and globalisation processes. Whether climate adaptation, energy transition, secure work, affordable housing, sustainable mobility, immigration or demographic change – a holistic inter- and transdisciplinary approach is needed to meet the challenges of sustainable urban development.

In order to meet these challenges on a scientific level, the TU Braunschweig has established the research line “Future City” which offers a platform for new research fields and cooperations.

Across all faculties, scientific priorities have been merged into five visions, each of which is assigned to a large number of specialized research fields. These provide a strong framework for both application-oriented and fundamental research projects by formulating the underlying research questions, the work programme and the methodology. Each research field is designed by two or more scientists and has already established reference projects.

ISUrF-Hub is an initiative by the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Technlogy IWF (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and the Institute for Sustainable Urbanism ISU (Department of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences) within the framework of FUTURE CITY.

Please visit www.tu-braunschweig.de/stadtderzukunft for further details.

Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF), TU Braunschweig

Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology

www.tu-braunschweig.de/iwf

IWF

The Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF) is jointly headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Dröder and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Herrmann who hold the Chairs of Manufacturing Technology & Process Automation as well as Sustainable Production & Life Cycle Engineering.

The Chair of Manufacturing Technologies & Process Automation of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Dröder focuses on research for current and future process chains for production. An emphasis is placed on the implementation of future production strategies that enable the production of functionalized products in flexible quantities and variants with maximum efficiency. The research areas range from the assembly and factory automation to the machining and processing of metallic materials, wood and composite materials as well as new manufacturing technologies for the integrated production of hybrid structures. Novel tool concepts and technologies are also considered.

The Chair of Sustainable Production and Life Cycle Engineering of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Herrmann focuses on energy and resource efficiency in production as well as new methods and tools to support life cycle-oriented system, product and process design. The learning factory serves as a platform for teaching methodological knowledge in training and further education as well as for testing and evaluating research prototypes in an industry-related production site.

The IWF is engaged in two “LabFactories”. The “Battery LabFactory” (BLB) is located in Braunschweig and focuses on research for new process chains for the production of traction batteries and other areas of electric mobility. The “Open Hybrid LabFactory” (OHLF) research campus, which was opened in 2016, is the second location of the IWF. Here new production technologies for hybrid lightweight construction are being researched and developed together with industrial partners as part of a public private partnership.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Herrmann

Head of the Institute, Chair of Sustainable Manufacturing & Life Cycle Engineering
Co Founder of ISUrF-Hub

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Herrmann is university professor for Sustainable Manufacturing & Life Cycle Engineering and co-director of IWF, Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology, Technische Universität Braunschweig. Since 2009 he leads the Joint German-Australian Research Group on “Sustainable Manufacturing and Life Cycle Engineering” together with Prof. Sami Kara from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney.

Prof. Herrmann has studied mechanical engineering / production engineering. He was research assistant at IFH (Institute of Production Automation and Handling Technology) and IWF. After his doctor degree (Dr.-Ing.) in 2003 he habilitated in production engineering in 2008 and was appointed associate professor (apl. Prof.) in 2011. As a company’s founder (2002 – 2007) he has transferred tools and services to support design for environment into the electric/electronic and automotive industry. From 2005 to 2008 he was also scientific director of KERP Center of Excellence Environment & Electronics, Vienna. From August 2009 to February 2013 he was scientific director and member of the NFF (Niedersächsisches Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik / Automotive Research Center Lower Saxony), Germany. Professor Herrmann has conducted various industry and research projects in the context of life cycle engineering and sustainable manufacturing on national and international level. He was chairman of the international conference series Eco-X in 2005 and 2007 in Vienna and chairman of the 18th CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering held in Braunschweig in 2011. Since 2012 he is Visiting SIMTech Fellow at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology. He has published more than 200 papers and book publications as author, co-other and editor. Professor Herrmann is member of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP).

In 2011 Prof. Herrmann’s team, together with colleagues from Fraunhofer and industry partners, has won the German Resource Efficiency Award from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), Germany. In 2013 the lecture “Product and Life Cycle Management” was rewarded with the LehrLEO award by the TU Braunschweig as the best lecture in the bachelor degree programme. Since April 2009 Professor Herrmann is mentor professor for the Klaus Murmann Fellowship Programme at the Foundation of German Business (Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft, sdw).

Since April 2017 Professor Herrmann is also Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Please visit https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/iwf/pul/mitarbeiter/christoph-herrmann for further details.

Institute for Sustainable Urbanism (ISU), TU Braunschweig

Institute for Sustainable Urbanism

www.tu-braunschweig.de/isu

ISU

The Institute for Sustainable Urbanism ISU is a think-tank and design laboratory headed by Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow based at TU Braunschweig – one of Germany’s leading Technical Universities. Technische Universität Braunschweig is the academic center of Braunschweig, City of Science, which lies in the heart of one of Europe’s most active research regions. TU Braunschweig’s faculties comprise a comprehensive engineering branch and a strong natural sciences branch, closely linked with business sciences, social sciences, humanities and educational sciences. TU Braunschweig is part of TU9 – the group of leading technical universities in Germany.

ISU research, teaching, and discourse focus strategies and tools for sustainable urban development in the context of worldwide urbanization. Building up inter- and transdisciplinary projects within the TU Braunschweig research line FUTURE CITY, ISU teams up with scientists from environmental and social science, engineering, psychology, political science, and informatics, and cooperates with more than fifty cities, municipalities and NGOs worldwide. In its continuous strive toward progressive research, ISU is building up a state of the art, multidisciplinary research and competence center on urban research rooted in the digital realm.

Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow

Head of the Institute; Co-speaker of FUTURE CITY
Cofounder of ISUrF-Hub

Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow was appointed full professor at the TU Braunschweig in 2012, where she heads the Institute for Sustainable Urbanism (ISU). She is a licensed architect and urban planner, and founder of COBE (cobe.de), a practice focusing on architecture, urban planning, public space design, and research.

Carlow studied architecture at TU Berlin and TU Delft (1995-2002). She holds a masters degree in Urban Management from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Copenhagen University, Ca Foscari Venice, Autonomous University Barcelona and Antwerp University (2003-2004), and a PhD from the Center for Urbanism at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (2012).
In 2013, Carlow was appointed Member of the German Association of Architects (BDA) and auditor of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).

Dr. Carlow has lectured and taught at universities worldwide, including Tsinghua University, Tongji University, RISEBA Riga, and Penn State University. Carlow’s research explores sustainable land use patterns, urban form and practices, urban-rural relations, and participatory planning.

Her professional work has garnered prestigious prizes, including the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale (2006, Best National Pavilion), the MIPIM Award Cannes (2012), and the Golden Medal for the best of Copenhagen Buildings (2012). In 2018 the seminar “iSCOR – Interdisciplinary platform for Communicational and Observational Research” was rewarded with the LehrLEO award by the TU Braunschweig as the best seminar.

Since 2015 Professor Carlow is also co-speaker of FUTURE CITY.

Please visit sustainableurbanism.de/blog/team for further details.

Singapore

SIMTech

Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology

www.a-star.edu.sg/simtech

SIMTech

The Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) develops high value manufacturing technology and human capital to enhance the competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing industry. It is a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

SIMTech has completed projects for companies, big and small, in the electronics, semiconductor, precision engineering, medical technology, aerospace, automotive, marine, logistics and other sectors.

Planning and Operation Management

Today’s competitive business landscape is re-shaping the manufacturing industry; sourcing operations stretch across multiple geographical regions, demand is volatile, regulatory pressures for eco-friendly operations are increasing, and customer demand is ever-evolving at a pace unseen in human history.

The POM group focuses on operations research and system analyses technologies for the effective and efficient management of manufacturing and supply chain operations. Our technologies allow companies to achieve greater productivity and eco-efficiency within their manufacturing operations and also to collaboratively manage business activities and seamlessly integrate manufacturing operations with partners in the supply chain by leveraging on the Internet and communication tools to meet the needs and demands of today’s complex and dynamic business environment.

Sustainable Manufacturing Centre (SMC)

Sustainable Manufacturing is widely identified as the new-generation paradigm shift in the manufacturing industry’s
effort to reduce environmental burdens, gain cost competitiveness, and demonstrate corporate social responsibility.
The Sustainable Manufacturing Centre (SMC) is spearheaded by the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology
(SIMTech), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and supported by a host
of key government agencies and industry-related associations.
It aims to promote sustainability in the manufacturing industry and bring industry associations and research communities to work alongside with relevant government agencies to develop and implement sustainable manufacturing technologies.
Since its inception in 2009, SMC has actively engaged local manufacturing industry to push the boundaries in the development and implementation of technologies for eco-performance improvements in products and manufacturing
processes. Much effort has been made to create awareness of SMC technologies and promote successful cases. Initiatives
have been established to assist companies measure their eco-performance baseline, improve energy and resource
efficiency, innovate technologies to manufacture green products and packaging, and recycle/remanufacture waste to
strengthen the global competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing industry.

Model Factory@SIMTech

A cooperation with “Die Lernfabrik” @ TU Braunschweig

The Model Factory@SIMTech is an actual production environment that allows for experiential experimentation and learning of manufacturing system technologies. For the Manufacturing Control TowerTM (MCTTM), the focus will be on digitalisation technologies. From a research viewpoint, the environment provides an ideal platform for the development of critical technologies such as cyber-physical-production systems (CPPS) and flexible automation across the three layers in a manufacturing environment, namely Shop-floor, Enterprise and Supply Chain. This will provide the essential platform for understanding the Sense & Response manufacturing paradigm, and the means to prototype new technologies, as a continuous learning journey for MCTTM. From an industry viewpoint, it provides a platform for companies to learn, experiment and most importantly, co-create new technologies for the next-generation factories. The next-generation manufacturing technologies will require skillsets that are multi-disciplinary in nature and require continuous learning. The Model Factory@SIMTech will be able to provide these critical learning and practice opportunities through SIMTech’s proven Learn-Practise-Implement (LPI) model before actual implementation on-site.

The collaboration between SIMTech and TU Braunschweig focuses on research and development activities in environmental sustainability in manufacturing activities. As manufacturing activities increasingly take place in urban centres, a balance is sought between optimal resource use, the demand on common resources, and the impact on the environment.

Features of the collaboration include:

  • Research and development of technologies relating to efficient resource use in manufacturing
  • Mutual enablement of Model Factory@SIMTech and Learning Factory of Technical University Braunschweig as testbeds for new resource efficient technologies

Please visit www.a-star.edu.sg/Portals/69/MCT/model-Factory.html for further details.

Funded by

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

www.bmbf.de

Conceptual and preparatory measures of German universities to establish joint research presences with partners in the Asia-Pacific region

Funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

The interdepartmental German High-Tech Strategy, as laid down by the federal government in 2006 and 2010, represents the foundation for the successful promotion of research and development. Furthermore, in 2008 the German federal cabinet adopted a strategy to strengthen the internationalization of science and research, with an increased presence of German research in significant partner countries.

The 5th BMBF announcement on the establishment of joint research centres in Asia and Oceania in the fields of health research and medical technology, sustainable cities, renewable energies and energy efficiency, as well as environmental and water technologies, highlighted a tremendous interest in the German scientific landscape.
ISUrF Hub is one of 27 selected projects of a total of more than 160 applicants.